"Jack Cust woke up Saturday morning, and the blurriness in his right eye was gone.

Mark Ellis emerged from treatment later that afternoon, and his right shoulder was considerably less sore.

Apparently, the A's can have days where the news out of the medical ward isn't all bad.

Neither Cust nor Ellis appeared in the lineup Saturday night, and Ellis likely won't return until Monday at the soonest. But good news is a rarity in the second half, and what evolved after both departed early from Friday's game qualified despite their absence Saturday.

Start with Ellis, whose career nearly was ended when he suffered a severe separation of the shoulder during a spring training collision with Bobby Crosby in 2004. He departed Friday after one inning in the field because of soreness and tightness in the area. Anytime that area doesn't feel right is especially concerning, Ellis said, because of his history, but strength tests taken Friday were good, and additional treatment Saturday improved things.

"It feels much better, so I'm happy about that," he said. "Hopefully, it won't be long until I'm back. It was still a little tight and a little sore before I got it worked on, but it feels good now. It doesn't look like it's anything serious."

Cust's ailment was a bit more mysterious. The A's home run leader said he woke up with blurry vision Friday morning, and that it stayed with him with various severity throughout the day. He departed Friday evening after taking one at-bat, a decision he said he made because he thought the blood flow might "right the ship.""